An Unlikely Enemy
by MrKrystal
Summary: A horrible accident leaves Krystal clinging to life, forcing Fox to make a decision about her future. The implications of that decision have widespread effects on everyone.
1. Tragedy in Orbit

An Unlikely Enemy

Chapter 1: Tragedy in Orbit

...78, 79, 80! Fox set the weight down. He had just completed his exercise routine for the day. He looked over at the door. Falco and Slippy had finished long ago and were waiting around the landing next to the towel bin. Falco was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed. Slippy was completely covered in sweat and panting heavily. Fox chuckled under his breath at the sight of Slippy as he walked up the ramp towards them. He shook off a bit and began mopping his face with a towel.

It was a huge exercise room, complete with all the equipment a hundred member crew could ever need. The room was over 30 meters wide and 50 meters deep with a large viewport along the back of the room, overlooking the rear of the ship. Outside, Solar was rising over the shadow of Macbeth for the second time this hour. The window immediately began dimming itself.

"Kind of a waste for just four people," thought Fox, "but who could turn down such a generous offer?"

After the Great Fox had been destroyed, Star Fox needed a place to live and park their Arwings. General Pepper made it his last official order in military command to allow them the temporary use of a Cornerian Class R Cruiser. He called it a bonus for a job well done.

Fox looked down, deep in thought. The Aparoid invasion had taken its toll on everyone. General Pepper left military service shortly after his recovery. He had told Fox that they had forced him, kicking and screaming, into retirement. Fox knew him better than that, though. The emotional scars of having his mind taken from him were deep. Peppy finally did retire, as he had promised, but only to assume General Pepper's position.

"Being a former member of Star Fox carried a lot of weight in military circles," he had said.

Slippy got a girlfriend. Falco... well, he never changes. And Krystal, she was growing into a more competent pilot with every training mission.

Fox looked back at the end of the exercise room. Krystal was still going.

"You'd never think she was so athletic just looking at her," thought Fox.

Krystal's routine was always longer than anyone else's. Fox arrived at the landing and turned his head back towards the others to find that Falco had opened his left eye slightly.

"She does this every time, Fox. You think you could hurry her up a bit?" Asked Falco.

"You just want her to cook," replied Fox.

Falco tapped his foot, growing more impatient.

"Well, she's the only one on board who can, you know," Falco said as he closed his eyes.

Krystal had become the unofficial cook for the team. She enjoyed it; probably happy for all the attention after her long time alone before the Saurian Incident.

Krystal let the weights hit the housing on one of the larger machines, signaling unintentionally to the rest of the team that she was finished. The others looked up. Krystal got up and walked towards them. When she noticed all of the expectant faces looking at her, she giggled slightly. But then she realized that she had left her towel on the equipment. Slippy groaned as she turned around and walked back to the far end of the room. As she reached for it, she froze. For two seconds she stood there, bent down in an awkward position. Fox's ears perked up. Krystal whipped her head around towards the group, an expression of horror on her face.

"HOLD ON!" She screamed and began to make a dash towards the landing.

Then, the wall exploded.

The explosive decompression was deafening! The huge suction of the escaping atmosphere turned the equipment near the hole into oddly shaped missiles. The hole was getting bigger each moment. Fox fell forward and grabbed the railing. Falco had fallen over it, but was safely behind some equipment bolted to the floor. Slippy had dropped to the floor, using his natural suction pads for grip.

A series of loud bangs stopped the sound of rushing air. The emergency decompression panels fell from the ceiling and covered the hole. The relative silence of this new situation revealed that warning sirens were going crazy.

"WARNING: Decompression in Aft Recreation Chamber C! Crew, please confirm status!"

Falco looked up wide-eyed. His head whipped around to the doorway.

"FOX! We need to..." Falco trailed off.

He saw Fox sprinting down the hallway just as the doors slid shut. He had never seen Fox move that fast before.

Fox saw only one thing as he ran, an image burned onto his eyes, the image of Krystal violently rotating in zero-g, no longer holding her throat, going limp.

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Note To Readers:  
You can critique it if you want, but keep in mind that I've never made one before. Not only that, but this is pretty much my first work of fiction period. I mostly write technical articles and papers for school.  
8/15/06 Edit - Added additional spaces around changes in speech.  
10/10/06 Edit - Fixed some badly designed sound effects and removed some footnotes that were "spoiling the story." 


	2. Pain

An Unlikely Enemy

Chapter 2: Pain

"I have no time to feel, no time to worry, no time to question why," thought Fox, as he sprinted down the main corridor. "I have much to do and no time to do it."

Fox was utterly at peace, his tactical mind taking over as his emotional one shattered. He was in the zone.

Fox yelled upward, "ROB! Prepare to receive multiple simultaneous instructions, all have ordered maximum priority!"

"Acknowledged," responded Rob through the ship's comm system.

"Bring maneuvering engines to full powered standby. Track heat source of approximately 40 degrees Celsius originating from this vessel at approximately 90 dash 1 dash 0 degrees and plot an intercept course. Begin pursuit as soon as previous two steps are complete. Maintain distance of 10 meters with respect to the heat source and starboard. Prep a space suit at the starboard airlock. End instructions!" Fox said with a single breath.

"Instructions confirmed and underway. Full completion in approximately 20 seconds." replied Rob.

"To slow," thought Fox as he made a sharp right turn and headed towards the starboard airlock.

"Hey, Fox! What should Slip and me do?" Asked Falco over the comm system.

"Falco, meet me at the starboard airlock with an equipment mover. Slippy, get to the medical center and prep a stasis pod. We're going to need 100 stasis," replied Fox.

Slippy gasped, "You mean... she'd already dead!"

"Do it, Slippy, there's no time," sighed Fox.

He heard a whimper from Slippy before the comm channel cut off.

At last, Fox arrived at the starboard airlock. A panel containing one of the space suits had already opened and extended outward, displaying a bright orange suit made of metal and plastic. Fox pressed a button on the chestplate, causing the it to mechanically hinge upward and the legs of the suit to rotate open. Fox climbed up and slid into the suit. He tapped the button again and put his arms down the sleeves as the rest of the suit sealed itself. Fox grabbed the helmet and dashed to the airlock controls. He smashed the large "OPEN" button and stepped inside. The door shut behind him.

"Rob! What's the status of the instruction set's completion?" Fox yelled into the ceiling.

"Heat source located and followed. Requested orientation complete," responded Rob.

"Good. I'm in the starboard airlock and will be retrieving the heat source manually. However, I want you to maneuver the ship as close to the heat source as possible without touching it," ordered Fox.

"Understood. Now approaching 5 meters distance from heat source," said Rob.

Fox lowered his head and put on his helmet. Once it was attached and locked, he hooked the space-walk cable to the suit's harness and pushed the button to open the outer airlock.

"Full decompression in 10 seconds. Artificial gravity off," noted the small holoscreen in front of him. The outer wall opened and light started pouring in. Fox pushed off and floated forward at a slow speed still adjusting to the intense light from Solar. It was a couple of seconds before Fox could see, but he soon made out Krystal's outline. Only a few meters in front of him, she was rotating, arms and legs flailed out. Fox was approaching her quicker than he expected.

"Wait... My God!"

His mind reeled at the sight of her. Her body was devastated. Her arms and legs were swollen to almost twice their normal size. Her chest had collapsed. Fox could see that she would be bleeding from her mouth if the blood hadn't already frozen in her throat. Most of her fur was frozen solid from the sweat of exercising. Much of it had simply broken off into hundreds of blue needles. To top it off, it looked like several pieces of exercise equipment had connected with her on the way out of the hole. There were several large gashes on her legs and torso. Fox grabbed her by the arm and began pulling on the cable.

"Slippy, tell me you have that stasis pod ready," Fox whispered into the radio.

"It's ready, Fox," Slippy solemnly replied.

A few seconds later, Fox and Krystal were inside the airlock.

"Falco, you there?" Asked Fox.

"I've got the mover right outside the door," responded Falco.

"Okay, I'm going to leave gravity off in here when I re-compress. Be ready to help me move her and... well, just be ready for the worst," Fox said.

Fox quickly overrode the normal re-compression procedure and activated it. The door opened a few seconds later, revealing Falco with a large floating platform. Falco was wide-eyed.

"Don't just stand there! Help me!" Yelled Fox.

Falco regained his senses and rushed to guide Krystal's body onto the platform.

During the run to the medical center, time seemed to move in slow motion. What was he doing to do now? He had her body, and sure, they were near a large industrial planet with some of the best hospitals in the Lylat system. But what could they do? Krystal had been outside for more than a minute and she had tried to hold her breath during explosive decompression. Her organs were probably crushed. He looked down at her. Her arms and legs were beginning to shrink from the re-pressurization, causing blood to begin pouring through the cracks in her skin. Some of the larger gashes were thawing and beginning to bleed.

"Fox, wake up! We're here," Falco cautiously said.

"Right," replied Fox.

Falco and Fox moved Krystal's body into the large stasis pod and activated it. The pod filled with mist and Fox lost sight of Krystal's body. He sank to the floor shaking, the emotional reality of the situation hit him for the first time. Fox put his head in his hands and closed his eyes.

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Note To Readers:  
It gets worse before it gets better.  
Thank you reviewers. I will modify any chapter at any time based on your suggestions for improvement.  
8/15/06 Edit - Added additional spaces around changes in speech. 


	3. The Hospital

An Unlikely Enemy

Chapter 3: The Hospital

Fox felt dizzy and a strange sensation of movement. When he opened his eyes, he was blinded by brilliant light and everything was blurry. There was a sharp pain in his right arm, but when he tried to feel it, he couldn't move. Groggy and disoriented, he closed his eyes.

When Fox awakened again, he sat up suddenly. He was in a bed with white sheets and surrounded by curtains.

"Wha- Krystal? Um... hello?" Fox cautiously called out.

There was a shuffle on the other side of the curtain. They suddenly parted, startling Fox.

"Well, you picked a fine time for a nap," Falco smirked.

Fox looked at Falco quizzingly. He then noticed the pain in his arm again. It wasn't as bad as before, just a slow, throbbing pain. He reached to comfort it and found it bandaged. Fox looked at it, then at Falco.

"And that would be where you cut your arm when you fell," said Falco in reply.

"Fell?" Asked Fox.

"Yeah, after me and you put Krysta-" Falco was cut off by Fox.

"Is she alright? Where is she?!" Cried Fox.

"Easy man, one question at a time. She isn't good, but no worse than when she got put in the stasis pod," responded Falco.

Fox raised his ears as Falco continued, "Remember? 100 stasis? Freezes the entire body? Well, they haven't turned it off yet. So anyway, like I was saying, after we put her in the pod, you were sitting on the floor, but then you stood up quickly, I can only assume to get us here, you know, a hospital, but apparently there was some high blood pressure or shock or something. Slippy tried to explain it to me and so you fell and I-"

Fox cut him off again. "Wait, what do you mean turn it off?" Asked Fox.

Falco hesitated. "I think you'd better talk to the doc about that," said Falco.

He disappeared for a moment and reappeared with a grey badger in tow.

"Oh ah, you're awake Captain McCloud. Good to see you're alright. I'm Dr. Sharp. I've been tasked with handling your crew's needs," said the badger to Fox.

"Dr. Sharp?" Asked Fox.

"Hmm yes?" He responded.

"Why are you going to turn off the stasis pod?" Fox asked in a deadly serious tone.

"Oh! I see. Yes, well, Krystal's condition is critical. To be honest, she's a strange case. We haven't had many victims of explosive decompression. Those that aren't killed immediately always fall into two groups: those who recover quickly and those who expire quickly. The length of vacuum exposure is usually the key factor in separating the two groups. Krystal was in space for about one minute, right in between the survivable and the deadly time-spans. You did get her into a stasis pod quickly, but she also tried to hold her breath which was the worst thing she could have done. Her internal organs were..." Dr. Sharp droned on and on.

Fox spoke up, beginning to be agitated, "Just tell me why you want to shut off the stasis pod."

Dr. Sharp stopped his diagnosis and looked directly at Fox, "Ah, well, long story short: even with the 100 stasis, she is slowly dying. The nerves in her brain are starting to fall apart, to say nothing about the rest of her body. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for her. However, I thought I should leave the decision to shut off the stasis pod to you, her being part of your crew."

Fox's ears drooped and he looked at the floor.

"How could this happen?" He thought, "Why couldn't I save her? It's not fair!"

"May I see her?" Fox asked the sympathetic looking doctor.

"Of course," replied Dr. Sharp.

Fox was silent in the wheelchair as Falco wheeled him down the hall. There were patients, doctors, and nurses busily walking here and there, pushing things, talking, attending to their own business. The scene of organized chaos was parted down the middle with a sagging orange fox being rolled towards the intensive care unit.

Many stopped and whispered to each other, "Hey, isn't that Fox McCloud?"

"Yeah, I heard Krystal got injured really bad, he must be going to see her. Poor guy, she was so young too."

Fox heard none of it. He was again in his own world, cursing himself for not being able to help her.

"I wasn't fast enough," he thought, "now she's going to die."

The sharp turn into the observation room jolted Fox from his trance. He looked up to see several technicians and Slippy monitoring Krystal's pod on several monitors.

Slippy noticed Fox and walked to greet him, "Hey Fox, I've been thinking, the exercise room is no-where near any ship system that's even possibly explosive. We had shields up and there was no warning alarm about an incoming attack. How could the wall have exploded?"

Fox sighed wearily and spoke, "I don't know Slippy, why don't you go and check the ship? It's really not my main concern right now."

Slippy laughed sheepishly, "Ha ha, sorry Fox, I guess I just got carried away on the details. I guess I'll go check the ship then, I'm no help around here."

Slippy briskly left the room and Falco wheeled Fox to the monitoring station.

Fox got out of the wheelchair and began walking slowly towards the front of the pod as Dr. Sharp spoke to him further about the diagnosis, "As you can see here on these screens, she has no life signs. She's medically dead, but there's still traces of brain cell activity."

Fox continued his shuffle towards the pod.

Dr. Sharp continued, "There's nothing we can do for her, even if we could restart her brain, her internal organs are beyond repair."

Fox put his hand on the glass door, as close as he could be to her. He shed a tear, she looked so much like when he first saw her, trapped in that crystal. That time, he saved her. This time...

"So, you see, we need to shut off the stasis pod soon. There's no point in drawing out the inevitable. Let her soul rest," finished Dr. Sharp.

Fox removed his hand, looking down at the floor.

"Give me ten minutes to think it over," he said as he shuffled out of the room.

"I need some fresh air," thought Fox.

He found a balcony off a side hall and stood looking over the huge industrial capital of Macbeth.

"I don't know if I could stand her not being here. I've already lost my family," desperate thoughts echoed in his head. "Maybe, I could slip... No! No, I couldn't do that. It's not right and that's not what she would want for me," Fox dismissed the horrible idea.

But he still had a decision to make, a decision that had only one logical choice. It was a choice he didn't want to make.

"I wish he was here," said Fox to himself.

"I'm so terribly sorry," said a deep, slow voice to Fox's left.

Fox turned sharply to look, his eyes suddenly wide.

"I'm so... very sorry, my son."

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Note To Readers:  
Don't you just love cliff-hangers?  
Lot of talking this time. Chapters 4 and 5 will likely be the same, but action shall soon return.  
I'm terribly sorry for the somewhat graphic nature of these first few parts. I'm not trying to make it that way, it's just what seems realistic to me. I guess it doesn't seem so bad to me because I know what happens.  
8/15/06 Edit - Added additional spaces around changes in speech.  
11/10/06 Edit - Removed some footnotes that were "spoiling the story." 


	4. The Right Choice

An Unlikely Enemy

Chapter 4: The Right Choice

Fox couldn't move. He could hardly breathe. There he was, James McCloud, standing there in his casual flight suit, the suit Fox had modeled his suit after in the early days of mercenary work. He had his arms folded across his chest as he looked out over the thousands of buildings and factories of the megacity below. Fox realized that his father had not looked at him when he had spoken before. There was a wavering in his voice that informed Fox of his father's struggle to keep his calm demeanor. It was as if James could not look at Fox without crying. Fox couldn't tell for sure, however, because of the dark sunglasses James wore. James was exactly the way Fox remembered him before he died.

"Father! You're-," Fox was cut off by James as he raised his head and spoke.

"Fox, I know you have a difficult decision to make, but be calm, you will make the right choice. You MUST make the right choice," he said in a low voice.

Fox blinked. His father knew what he was struggling with. Krystal was dying and there was nothing he or anyone else could do about it. He could either let her go or prolong her life in agony. Neither seemed like the right choice. Fox opened his mouth to ask which choice James was referring to when his father spoke again.

"You will know it when you see it. Fox, in your darkest time, your choice will be clear," said James and set his jaw, he was through talking. He continued to stare out into the distance.

Fox was still frozen where he stood. "This is crazy!" thought Fox. James was dead, but there he was in the flesh only a meter away. This wasn't the first time that he had mysteriously appeared during Fox's times of greatest stress. After his first appearance in the explosion on Venom, Fox had reasoned that it was just his imagination. But this was completely different. Fox could actually see his father right next to him. This wasn't some simple com transmission and an Arwing in the distance. If he was really there, then where had he been all this time? Fox wanted to ask his father that question now more than any other, even than his questions about Krystal, now realizing that his father's few words had already brought him encouragement.

James finally turned his face towards Fox and smiled, "Say 'hi' to ROB for me," he said, his serious tone temporarily gone.

Fox finally found himself able to move. He prepared to run and embrace his father for the first time in ten years. If not that, he could finally see if his father's appearances were only a figment of his imagination. Fox took his first step towards his father when a familiar voice yelled his name. Fox turned to look.

"Fox! Fox! I figured it out!" Cried Slippy. He was waving his arms in the air, some papers in his hands, as he ran towards Fox.

Fox turned back towards his father, but he was no longer there. Fox once again found himself in an awkward position. Fox straightened up and wiped a tear from his eye as he muttered under his breath, "I should have expected that. Slippy, your timing is impeccable."

"Imagined or not, Father has never told me the wrong thing to do," thought Fox. Part of the burden of the choice he would have to make about Krystal was lightened by his father's words. Fox no longer had to worry about it, the choice would take care of itself ...somehow. Fox's mood was lifted dramatically.

Fox looked back at Slippy as he arrived, huffing and puffing, from his excursion. Slippy held up a hand to indicate that he needed a moment to regain his breath. When he finished, he stood up and asked, "Hey Fox, I know you're really upset and this probably isn't the best time, but remember how I couldn't figure out how the wall exploded?"

"Yeah," Fox answered in his normal upbeat tone. Fox motioned for Slippy to follow him back into the hospital, "what did you find out?"

Slippy was taken aback by Fox's sudden mood change. He shook it off and followed quickly behind Fox, excited to tell him what he had discovered. "Okay, I was looking at the shield readouts before the explosion. You know what I found?" Slippy asked.

"No, what?" Responded Fox.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing was detected... BEFORE the explosion," Slippy declared.

Fox looked at Slippy quizzically, "Are you saying that whatever caused the explosion originated from inside the shields?"

"Yes and no," Slippy answered, "the key was what happened immediately after the explosion. That's when the sensors indicated the presence of a massive release of neutrinos outward, away from the ship."

The two rounded a corner into the main hallway which spanned the length of the building. The space dock was at one end while the intensive care unit was at the other. Fox stopped Slippy there to finish their conversation, knowing they would soon travel in opposite directions.

"Alright Slippy, you've baffled me. What hit us?" Asked Fox.

"I thought you'd never ask! We got hit with some antimatter! When antimatter touches normal matter, there's a giant explosion and neutrinos are released. Our shields only detect normal matter and energy. The antimatter must have passed right through our shields and hit the outer hull of the ship, where the explosion happened," Slippy finished explaining.

Fox had heard about matter-antimatter reactions in his technological history classes back at the Academy. Researchers studied the reactions hundreds of years ago as a possible new energy source. Funding had ceased when a technique to harness gravity itself was discovered. Those techniques were the basis of the G-Diffusion engines in all space-faring ships, including his own Arwings. Antimatter existed in nature, but rarely, and in small amounts. Fox wondered whether this explosion was accidental or intentional.

"So what do you think, Slippy? Were we hit by some antimatter beam or maybe some naturally occurring antimatter?" Fox asked.

"I don't know," said Slippy, "an explosion of the size we saw would take a fist size chunk of antimatter. As far as I know, naturally occurring antimatter only exists in chunks of a few atoms at a time. Then again, those energy scientists studying antimatter centuries ago only managed to create about one gram over the course of fifty years."

Fox nodded, "I guess that will just have to remain a mystery for now. Listen, I have to get back to Krystal. Can you make preparations for our ship's repair?"

"Sure, Fox," Slippy turned to leave, but quickly turned back, a sympathetic look on his face, "Fox, I'm... really sorry about Krystal. I know that this is hitting you the hardest, as the leader and her personal friend. Krystal was always so kind to me..." Slippy became teary-eyed, "Just... whatever choice you make, I... we will be behind you, 100 percent!"

Fox placed his hand on his comrade's shoulder reassuringly, "Don't worry, Slippy. I don't yet know how, but this will all work out. I'll make the right choice."

"Alright, Fox. I'll be back as soon as I can," Slippy said as he wiped his eyes and turned towards the space dock.

Fox watched him go for a moment before sighing and turning towards the intensive care unit. There were fewer people in the hallway now that noon had passed. Fox took his time making his way back. "I'll have to make my choice soon," thought Fox, "and I still don't know which one is the right one." Fox walked down the hall, head down, deep in thought. He pondered the information he had just learned, his father had told him that there was a correct choice and that he would recognize it when he saw it. Fox wondered which it was, playing through multiple scenarios in his mind. None seemed to work out any better than another. Krystal was still going to die in a short time, never to be revived. And then there was the intel Slippy had found. A premeditated attack seemed functionally impossible, what with the amount of antimatter needed. Plus, why would an attacker use such an obscure weapon and on such a non-critical area of the ship? Then again, a freak natural occurrence of antimatter seemed even less likely.

Fox was still deep in thought when he reached the door of the intensive care unit. He stopped and looked up to see a grey wolf in military dress standing in the doorway, blocking his path. The wolf met his gaze and extended a hand in greeting.

"Captain McCloud! It's a honor to meet you. My name is Colonel Lee," said the wolf.

Fox took the colonel's hand and gave it a firm shake, "Nice to meet you. I apologize, I really need to get back to my teammate. Please excuse me."

The grey wolf held up his other hand, indicating his desire for Fox's attention. Fox, unable to get through the blocked door gave the colonel his full attention.

"Fox, I have been sent by my superiors to express our condolences to you and your team for this most unfortunate accident," Lee apologized.

"What are you saying? Do you know the cause of the explosion?" Fox asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid we know very well. You see, it's our fault that your teammate Krystal ended up this way. It was a mistake in an experiment we were running," the Wolf lowered his head in sadness. He frowned, but kept his eyes on Fox.

For a moment nothing happened. Fox's eyes widened. He could sense something was happening, but he couldn't quite place it. He noticed that the colonel's face began to show signs of confusion, and then apprehension.

Fox blinked. When he opened his eyes he found his hands strangling the wolf's throat. Fox's fingers reached deep into the colonel's fur and skin, crushing down on the windpipe. Fox had backed Lee against the wall and was hoisting the wolf into the air by his neck. Unnatural strength flowed through Fox in his anger.

"A mistake in an experiment?!" thought Fox, "you killed my teammate."

"You will pay for your mistake!" Fox said to the Wolf now clawing at his throat for air.

"Please... you don't under-urk!" Lee tried to explain, but Fox wasn't listening.

Fox continued to tighten his grip on the colonel's throat. Fox now had a guilty party to give his pent-up stress, anger, and confusion from the day's events. Fox could hear hasting footsteps behind him. Another set of hands tried to pry Fox's grip from the colonel's throat to no avail. Fox could tell from their shape and color that it was Falco trying to stop him. Nevertheless, Fox kept his deathgrip on the wolf.

Colonel Lee began to grow faint from the lack of air. He slowed, and then stopped, his clawing at Fox's tight grip. As his left hand fell away to his side, Fox followed it with his eyes, getting some animalistic satisfaction from his victory. However, when his eyes reached the wolf's chest, Fox froze, seeing for the first time the colonel's name-tag.

It read, "Colonel Write Lee, Special Operations."

Fox stared at the name and mused to himself, "So this is the 'right choice' huh?"

Fox released his grip on the wolf who slid to the floor, crouching on one knee and rubbing his throat. Moments before Colonel Lee had been fearing for his life, but when he looked up, he was surprised to see Fox McCloud standing at attention a meter away giving him a salute.

Sound finally re-entered Fox's world and he heard the voice of his teammate, "Fox! What was that all about?!" Falco asked.

"Quiet," Fox said, "I'll explain later."

The colonel recovered quickly and stood up to face Fox, a little apprehension and confusion still on his face.

"I apologize for my unprofessional behavior. I have been under immense stress as of late," Fox explained.

The wolf nodded, "I see! -cough- Your behavior is understandable in such a situation. I probably would have done the same in your shoes, no harm done."

"This might sound strange coming from someone who just tried to strangle you, but do you have something else to tell me other than your role in the accident?" Fox pressed.

Colonel Lee looked surprised, "Yes, as a matter of fact there is something." He laughed, "I guess security isn't what it used to be. I assume that you will take full responsibility for your teammates' health in situations when they can't make their own decisions?" the colonel asked.

"That's right," Fox answered.

"Excellent. My superiors have decided to do what they can to help rectify the situation since it is ultimately our fault that Krystal ended up here. They have decided to make some of the most high level top secret technology available to you. Krystal could potentially recover completely," the wolf said with a small smile on his face.

Falco was surprised, but not as much as Fox who nearly jumped out of his skin, "If there's anything you can do for her, do it!"

The colonel shook his head, "Wait, there are a couple of problems. We will have to remove her from stasis and operate with virtually untested technology. If it doesn't work on the very first try, there will be no second chances, she will die."

"She's going to die as it is right now, the doctors here can't do anything. They want me to just pull the plug. Any chance is better than none at all," Fox reasoned.

"I thought you might say that," said the wolf, "but there is one other problem, one that you will have a harder time accepting."

"What would that be?" Fox asked.

"It's about the technology itself. It's not exactly untested, just untested by us. You've seen it before, the devastation it caused, not just to you, but to everyone..." Colonel Lee was having a difficult time bringing himself to admit the secret to Fox. He stammered and looked at the floor.

Fox reached in close, lowering his head so that he could see the wolf's eyes, "what is it, colonel?"

Colonel Lee looked up at Falco, then at Fox. His gaze intensified as he spoke in a low voice, "the technology to revive your teammate is... Andross Biotech."

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Note To Readers:  
Merry Christmas faithful readers!  
I really wanted to have several chapters ready for you today, but it didn't happen. However, I did get a lot of exteral stuff straightened out, so I will have more time for this in the near future.  
Edit (12/26/06): In response to reviews about the shortness and lack of detail in my fic (particularly this chapter), I will be reworking this chapter whenever I get some time (maybe a week or two) to be much more detailed and longer. Know that the story won't change, and what you've seen here will happen in the new version, but it will be more detailed, when I do get around to it. Following chapters will be longer and more detailed too. Thank you all for your reviews and interest!  
Edit (4/16/07): I'm not dead! The fic is not dead! I've just been really, really busy. You can read more about my busy-ness elsewhere, point is, I've finally gotten around to rewriting this chapter with a lot more detail and explanation. It is now over twice the original length, and hopefully a lot less confusing. Writing about emotions is hard, writing about emotional rollercoasters is even harder, and that's what this chapter was about. Hopefully future chapters will be more straightforward. I look forward to getting to the really interesting parts soon. Don't kill me if it takes some time for the next chapter to come out, it's my last semester of college before I graduate after all. Then it's off to Digipen, the video game school, to get a Masters in game programming.  
Edit (8/16/07): Another four months and I've discovered a pretty major plothole. Namely, where did Peppy come from? Wasn't he off being the General and stuff? So why was he suddenly in the hospital with Falco? The reason is that when it's so long between writing chapters, you forget some things. I thought I had Peppy still on the team. So this version removes all references to Peppy and fills the holes that creates. (It's unfortunate too, because I had a really good idea for Peppy's dialog in chapter 5, but looks like I'm going to have to change it. 


	5. Complications

An Unlikely Enemy

Chapter 5: Complications

"Andross?!" Gasped Fox and Falco at the same time, "That's illegal!"

"Please keep your voices down!" said Colonel Lee in a loud whisper, "Is there somewhere more private we can discuss this?"

Falco motioned towards Krystal's room, but kept his eyes on the Colonel, "Nobody's in there. The doctors are on a break."

Lee and Falco entered the room followed by Fox, who closed the double doors quietly behind himself. Fox turned and looked at the room, for the first time seeing parts of it other than Krystal. It was a square room about 100 meters on each side, large enough for any medical operation. In the middle of the room, Krystal's stasis pod sat looking like an egg. It was white and opaque from the frost coating the cold pod. Fox could barely make out Krystal's blue form inside it. There were small veins of red coming from Krystal's body which Fox could only assume was some of her blood that had leaked from her body during the flash freezing process. A large grey power adapter surrounded half of Krystal's stasis pod and held it a half a meter off the floor. Wires and hoses extended from it into the floor and ceiling. A few holographic displays floated directly in front of the pod, showing Krystal's physical and mental status. Most of the bar indicators were red and very low, conveying critical status. Fox looked away at the rest of the room. There were monitoring stations lining the right wall. Flashing blue lights covered the few stations that were on. On the other side of the room, the others were congregating at the makeshift lobby area which contained a few chairs and a table. Falco wore a look of mild shock, which was unusual for him. Lee only looked concerned. Fox made his way over to the others as they sat down.

"Please, Captain McCloud, have a seat. We have a great deal to discuss," said the wolf, motioning towards an empty chair."

Fox crossed his arms, "I'll stand, thanks. And call me 'Fox' if you don't mind."

"Of course," replied the Colonel, "now, as I said, we can potentially restore your teammate Krystal through some of Andross' technology, but-"

Falco interrupted, "I hate to, ya know, sound like a broken record, but THAT'S FREAKIN' ILLEGAL! You're a military guy. Aren't you guys the ones who bust people for using that stuff?!"

"Keep your voice down!" the wolf hissed, "yes, it's illegal, but there's an exception to every rule. I'm with a black tech division of the military. We have a mandate to experiment with banned technology, with the hope of eventually making it available publicly for military and civilian use."

"Black tech division, huh?" Fox mused. "What's the name and branch?" He asked.

"Unfortunately, I've only been authorized to inform you enough about our division to allow you to make an informed decision about the use of the technology on Krystal. As for our branch, I can only say that we are part of Cornerian Defense Intelligence," responded Colonel Lee.

"In that case, what can you tell me about the procedure, Colonel?" Fox asked.

Lee explained, "Until the actual operation, I'm not at liberty to discuss the specifics, but in broad terms, we would be building Krystal a new body using her own DNA as a template. However, we would be replacing most of her body with micro-mechanical structures."

"Slip ain't here right now, could you explain that again in English?" Falco asked sarcastically.

The wolf sighed, "Of course, think of it as building a robot at the cellular level. Krystal will look exactly the same as she did before and her body will work in a similar way too. She'll still need to eat, drink, and sleep. But nearly everything about her will be enhanced."

"Enhanced?" Fox asked, "in what way?"

"Krystal will gain greater physical strength, speed, and stamina. She could even become smarter through of neural speed and space increases," Colonel Lee answered. "But I must stress this: this is a very risky and highly experimental procedure. Only Andross truly understood how this technology worked. In the best case, our technicians gave the procedure a 40 chance of working for Krystal," he cautioned.

"That all you can tell us?" Falco asked.

Lee responded, "Yes, for now that's all I can say. If you decide to go with this procedure, I can brief you or whoever on your team you feel necessary."

"And if I say no, what happens?" Fox asked.

"I'll wish you luck with Krystal, bid you farewell, and have CDI deny that this meeting ever took place," the wolf replied simply.

"And if I say yes?" Asked Fox.

Lee smiled, "I'll escort you, your ship to our facility and we will begin immediately. There are no strings attached either way, if that's what you're asking."

"Fair enough. Falco, what do you think?" Fox asked, turning to him.

"Krystal isn't getting any better sitting around here, and I don't think I can take much more of your moping. I say shoot first, ask questions... er, you know what I mean," Falco answered.

Fox frowned at Falco's choice of words, but moved on.

"That settles it," thought Fox. He had already made up his mind to do whatever Lee was going to propose, even before he explained it. The Andross technology was a bit of a shocker, but Fox trusted his father, even if it was only his subconscious. More, it was Krystal's only chance. Risk or death, those were the only two choices Fox knew of.

"Colonel Lee, I accept," proclaimed Fox, "When can we leave?"

"Immediately, assuming your ship is in working order," the Lee replied.

Fox grabbed his communicator off his waist and spoke in a stern tone, "Call Slippy."

The communicator made a fuzzy sound and a moment later the unusually happy voice of Slippy was heard by everyone in the room, "Hiya, Fox! This is Slippy."

"Slippy, how hard would it be to go somewhere in our ship without further repairs?" Asked Fox.

"Without repairs? Gee, why would you do tha-" Slippy was interrupted.

"Can it fly safely or do I need to rent another ship?" Fox reiterated.

"No no! It'll fly. The damage was minor. We just won't be able to use the exercise room until we finish repairs. What's the hurry?" Slippy asked.

"I'll explain on the way. I need you to have the cargo bay door open and the ship ready to fly in ten minutes. Can you do that for me?" Asked Fox.

"Sure, Fox! Now you've got me curious, he he! Slippy out!" Said Slippy as he cut out.

Fox turned to the Colonel, "Well, I guess the only thing left to do is get Krystal onboard and be on our way..."

Fox trailed off as two of Krystal's doctors walked into the room. Fox looked at them, then at Lee.

"This is top level classified. I'll leave it up to you how to get Krystal on your ship," Lee said, answering Fox's question before he asked it. "Also, no-one except current members of your crew can know about this procedure, even your higher-ups. I apologize in advance for the trouble," said the Colonel. He turned and walked to a door on the far wall, one with a large 'exit' sign above, "I can't be seen with you, too many questions could be asked. I'll see you at the docking bay."

Fox watched him go and then turned to the doctors. He paused for a moment to gather what he wanted to say, then he marched over to them as they neared the holographic displays.

"Dr. Sharp, Dr..." Fox didn't know the other's name.

"Dr. Labbe," the other doctor explained, extending a hand.

Fox shook his hand briskly, "Right, Dr. Labbe thanks for trying to help Krystal... Listen, Dr. Sharp, I thought about what you had to say and all. Krystal will... pass on soon. I agree with you, we can't leave Krystal like this, but I don't want her to die here. She wouldn't want to die in a hospital, no offense. I'd rather take her somewhere else."

"I understand completely, few people want to die in a hospital bed. I wouldn't want to. Did you have anywhere in mind?" Asked Dr. Sharp.

"Well, um, if I where to bury Krystal, it would probably be on Sauria. She has several friends there who would want to see her," Fox said, crafting his answer and trying not to lie.

"That's fine," Dr. Sharp said reassuringly, "Do you need transport for her body?"

"No, our ship will do fine. It only has minor damage. My other teammate is preparing it for launch right now. We just need to get Krystal's pod back on the portable unit and we'll be able to take care of her from there," Fox said.

Dr. Sharp nodded, "I'm glad you're taking this so well. I'll have a couple of technicians help you get her back on your ship."

"Thanks," Fox sighed, a little sad that he had deceive the doctors.

Fox and Falco helped the doctors prepare Krystal's pod to be moved. It took about three minutes for the technicians Dr. Sharp had called to arrive. When they did, it was only a few minutes more before Krystal was once again connected to the large, wheeled stasis pod shell. One of the technicians signaled that Krystal's pod was ready to go. Fox nodded and began walking towards the doorway, followed by Falco and a technician pushing Krystal's pod. Fox pushed open the doors to an alarming sight.

Camera flashes nearly blinded him and microphones where pressed to his face. Reporters were nearly crawling over each other trying to ask Fox questions about Krystal, the explosion, and all kinds of other things. Fox shielded his eyes and groaned.

Fox was considering retreating into the emergency room to use the other exit, when one of the reporters in the rear started yelling, "Hey, the General's here!"

The reporters grew quiet and parted to the sides of the hallway. Fox was left facing his old teammate General Peppy with reporters on each side looking anxiously at the scene unfolding.

Fox turned back to General Peppy, who was approaching. "Fox, I just heard the news! I got here as soon as I could."

The press reporters opened their mouths preparing for another barrage of questions, this time aimed at the General, but Peppy held up his hands and addressed them, "Don't bother, I've already ordered a press blackout. You're only allowed to report a 'rumor' that one of the Star Fox Team members had been critically injured. Do I make myself clear?"

The reporters grumbled as they turned off cameras, put away microphones, and shuffled grudgingly down the hallway.

"Heh! Nice one, Peppy!" Complemented Falco.

Fox spoke up, "Thanks for coming, Peppy. You just caught us as we were leaving."

"Leaving? Where are you going?" Asked Peppy.

"Shoot!" Thought Fox, "I can't tell him."

Falco came to the rescue, "Um, the doctors said there was nothing they could do for Krystal except pull the plug and Fox didn't want Krystal to die in a hospital, so we're taking her somewhere else."

"That's terrible! I mean that she can't be helped. I was only just getting to know her. This must be very trying for you, Fox," Peppy consoled.

"It's alright Peppy, I've already grieved for her," Fox finally said, "Now it's time we moved on."

"Where do you plan to bury her?" Asked Peppy.

"Well, I was thinking that if she were to be buried, it would be on Sauria. Tricky and the Cloudrunners would want to see her again," Fox said again. It was killing him to have to say this stuff to Peppy.

"Oh, that's a pity! My schedule will simply not allow me to travel to that far corner of Lylat," Peppy looked crestfallen, "I honestly could only come now because of a military conference here on Macbeth."

"It's okay, Peppy, you won't miss much," said Falco.

Fox glared at Falco, but Peppy interpreted Falco's comment philosophically, "I suppose you're right, Falco. It's just a ritual after all."

"Well, we'd like to stay and chat, but we have to be going Peppy. Thanks for your help with the press," Fox said.

"You're welcome. It's the least I could do. You can make it easier on yourselves if you activate your ship's cloak when you're leaving. The press won't be able to follow you," Peppy suggested.

Fox was relieved. He wouldn't have to come up with a reason to prevent Peppy from coming AND he could go somewhere other than Sauria without being detected or looking suspicious. Fox thanked Peppy again and began walking down the hall, towards the hospital's docking bay.

Peppy saluted Krystal as she was wheeled after Fox and Falco. "I sure hope Fox is strong enough to take this loss after loosing his father and mother," Peppy thought, and began walking towards his waiting executive transport at the front entrance.

With no further interruptions, the convoy quickly arrived at the rather small docking bay. It was a simple square structure made of high strength concrete. It could accommodate most civilian and industry transports, but nothing as big as the Great Fox, let alone their ship. Fortunately, other than the hospital, there wasn't much else nearby. The large military ship that the Star Fox team now called home was too large to fit and was hovering a few meters above the ground next to a side entrance. Slippy was waiting for for them anxiously with the cargo bay door wide open and the ramp extended. When he saw Krystal's pod, his expression changed to surprise. He approached them as they drew close.

"Fox, what's going on? Why are you bringing Krystal out here?" Asked Slippy.

"We're not going to let Krystal die in a hospital," Fox explained, but quickly changed the subject, "Slippy, are we ready to depart?"

Slippy snapped back into focus, "Ya, we're ready to go. Just need to know where we're going."

"We'll input coordinates when we get aboard," Fox responded to Slippy then turned to the technician, "Thanks for your help, I think we can handle it from here."

The technician nodded and saluted before returning to the docking bay entrance.

"Alright, Slippy, let's get Krystal onboard," Fox ordered.

"You got it, Fox!" Slippy said as he drove the pod into the docking bay.

Falco saw that he wasn't needed and boarded the ship. Fox looked around and saw Colonel Lee near a corner of the hospital trying not to be noticed by anyone. When he saw Fox looking at him, he walked over. "Permission to board, sir?" Lee asked.

"Granted. Welcome aboard, sir," Fox said.

Fox followed the Colonel up the ramp and closed the docking bay door behind them. Slippy had just finished moving Krystal to an elevator when he saw the Colonel. He gave Fox with a questioning look.

"Slippy, we'll be taking Krystal to the bridge," Fox ordered.

"Sure, Fox," Slippy said haltingly, he was beginning to detect something big was going on.

Fox led the Colonel to the cargo elevator and they both boarded it with Slippy and Krystal already inside. Slippy entered the command to send the elevator to the bridge.

Fox turned to Slippy, "Slippy, this is Colonel Lee."

Lee outstretched his hand and Slippy shook it.

Fox continued, "He's made a proposal to me to try and save Krystal."

"But I thought there was no way to-" Slippy was cut off by Fox.

"Right, there wasn't a way to help her, but Colonel Lee here is part of CDI. He has access to some special technology," Fox explained.

"What kind of technology?" Slippy asked, once more curious.

"Andross biotech," Lee stated simply.

Slippy reeled, "That's illegal!"

"Yes, we know, and that's why this is top secret, Slippy," Fox responded, "I've already agreed to try it. I'm told it's very risky, but it's Krystal's only chance. You're our technical specialist, so I need you to be our translator, tell me what's going on when they're explaining how this works."

"Ooh, are you sure you're okay with this, Fox? Andross' tech was most of what we've been fighting these last 8 years," Slippy asked.

"I'm not happy about it, but like I said, it's Krystal's only chance. It's that or let her die," Fox answered.

"Okay, Fox. So, what's the procedure, Colonel Lee?" Slippy asked.

"I can't discuss specifics until we get to the facility, but simply put, we'll be building Krystal a new body," Lee explained.

"Wow! Cool!" Exclaimed Slippy.

"Yes, but it's really risky, like 40 chance risky," Fox mentioned.

"Oh, well, I'll help any way I can, Colonel. You can count on me!" Slippy said.

"Thank you, Slippy," said Lee.

Fox grabbed his communicator, "Call Falco," he said and was connected instantly. "Falco, I need you to meet us on the bridge."

"Already here, Fox. I'm waiting for you guys," Falco responded.

"Oh, well good. We'll be there in a few more seconds," Fox put away his communicator.

The elevator had finally reached the top of the shaft and the door opened onto the spacious bridge. Falco was standing next to ROB beside the navigation computer.

Fox walked onto the bridge and spoke to ROB, "We need to get airborne. Activate the cloak and get us into space." Fox turned to the Colonel, "What heading should we take?"

"Good news is that it's not far. In fact, we just need to get to the other side of Macbeth. I'll enter the coordinates if you don't mind?" Lee answered.

Fox motioned to the navigation computer, "Be my guest."

The wolf walked over to the controls and entered a few numbers. He then looked to Fox and said, "We're ready to go."

Fox nodded, "ROB, take us to those coordinates."

"Acknowledged," ROB stated and activated the engines.

The ship vibrated and a low hum indicated that they were powered up. The view from the bridge's window showed they were slowly rising into the air.

Slippy turned to Lee, "So, why are you helping us?"

Lee looked down, "It was one of our experiments gone awry that forced us to vent some high-energy particles into space. They eventually hit your ship and were the reason for Krystal's current condition."

"So it was you who created the antimatter!" Slippy gasped, "How did you manage to create so much?!"

"I'm not authorized to brief you on details beyond the restoration of your teammate," Lee explained. Slippy looked disappointed. The Colonel looked at Fox, "Well, all that's left now is a short ride to the facility. Fox, do you mind if I go somewhere private to inform my superiors about our arrival?"

"Not at all, take the elevator down a floor. There are lots of unused rooms down there," Fox suggested.

"Thanks! I'll be back in a few minutes," Lee walked into the elevator and descended.

As soon as the Colonel was out of view, Fox turned to Slippy, "Is there a way for us to monitor his communications without being detected?"

"I think I can make something work, why?" Slippy asked.

"I'm not sure I trust Colonel Lee. There are too many things at play here that don't make much sense," Fox answered.

"Okay, Fox. ROB, help me out over here," Slippy motioned for ROB to follow him to the communications panel.

The two worked quickly and soon, the security protocols were routed to only include the bridge. A flashing star appeared on the panel.

"Fox, he's making the call," Said Slippy.

"Ok, you're sure he can't detect us, right?" Fox asked.

"Yeah, we're passively listening," Slippy answered.

"Alright, put it on speaker in here," Fox ordered.

The speakers buzzed, "Okay, I'm attempting to decode the signal," Slippy announced.

The speakers buzzed for a few more seconds before Lee's voice could be heard above continued static, "-es, they accepted. I'm in a military transport with them, class R," said Lee.

A new voice was heard in the transmission, gruff and old, "What's the ship's mark?"

"Um, it's marked 'MJX-328,'" Lee responded.

"So everything worked as anticipated?" Asked the voice. Falco raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Yes, but I feel that Slippy may have some suspicions. He has already figured out that it was antimatter, and he was asking how we generated so much," Lee answered.

"You didn't tell him did you?" The voice sounded concerned.

"No, I told him what I've been saying all along, 'I can't talk about it, it's classified,' and such. I think Fox supports me fully, though. He's yet to back down from this even when I mentioned that it was Andross' technology. Although, he did almost kill me when I said it was our fault. Who can blame him though, he's just lost his girlfriend," Lee assured.

"Good, everything is ready for you when you arrive. Land in the South bay," the voice finished.

"Understood, Jackson out!" The Colonel finished.

---------------------------------------------

Note To Readers:  
(8/16/07): Wow, it took a long time to get this out. I'm still not done yet either. I had originally planned to have what will likely be the end of chapter 6 be the end of chapter 5, but there was just so much to say and do within the story that I managed to get past 3000 words in no time. So, once again, there's another plot twist at the end of the chapter. The end of the next chapter should have a double plot twist. I know, there was a lot of talking again, but there was a little action too. Two or three more chapters, and they'll do some really actiony stuff, I promise. Knowing me, though, it'll be forever before the next chapter comes out. Sorry guys, writing is just not my priority, but I will not simply abandon this story, it just might take a while. Thank you all for your reviews and enjoying my story. I hope I do the series justice.  
By the way, I noticed a plothole in chapter 4, so I've re-uploaded a fixed version. 


	6. The Base

**An Unlikely Enemy**

**Chapter 6: The Base**

"Jackson?!" Exclaimed Falco, "Who the heck is Jackson?"

"No doubt it's Lee. He hasn't been completely honest with us," Fox muttered.

"Completely honest, Fox? What part of 'working as anticipated' didn't you hear?" Asked Falco.

"I heard it, and that could mean anything, good or bad. We'll have to see. I'm still going to go ahead with this. I have a feeling they intend to help Krystal, but probably not for the reasons he told us," Fox said. He turned to Slippy, "Quickly, before he gets back, undo what you did to the communications," Fox ordered.

"Okay, Fox," Slippy said, growing concerned with this turn of events.

Fox and crew were waiting in silence for the Colonel as he returned through the elevator. Lee walked in and spoke to them, "This is great, everyone. Command knows you're coming and we are to dock in the South bay."

"Alright," said Fox casually, as if nothing had happened.

Slippy spoke up, "We're nearing the coordinates you input... Something's wrong, I don't see anything."

"Oh, don't mind that. The base is completely cloaked. It's disguised to look like an old nuclear weapons firing range," explained Lee.

After that brief exchange, everyone stood in awkward silence that seemed to go on forever. Several times Falco and Slippy seemed ready to say something, but in the end kept quiet. Needless to say, the most comfortable person in the room was probably ROB, who felt nothing. Finally, a secure landing comm alerted the crew to begin landing procedures. Slippy and ROB managed them, while Fox and Falco prepared to take Krystal back towards the cargo bay.

"Fox, why exactly did you bring Krystal all the way up here when we're just going to be taking her back down there again?" Falco asked suddenly.

"Hmmm. You know, I really don't know why I did that. I guess I just didn't want her to be alone down there," Fox answered, "ROB, why don't you get the cart down to the cargo bay? We'll be there soon."

"Affirmative," stated ROB, who quickly took Krystal to the elevator.

"Well, Colonel, anything else we need to take care of before we disembark?" Fox asked.

"I'd recommend bringing a change of clothes with you, since this operation should take at least a day," Lee suggested.

"Sounds good. I guess we'll meet you in the cargo bay then, Colonel," Fox said.

"Yes sir, I'll meet you there!" Lee exclaimed.

Lee followed ROB to the elevator as Fox and team made their way to their individual quarters. Fox got his comfortable adventurer's clothes, the kind he had worn on his first excursion onto planet Sauria. Falco threw some blue jeans and a red t-shirt in a bag, while Slippy got his formal clothes. Each one of them had their own reason for picking the clothes they did. Fox wanted himself to be as familiar looking as possible for Krystal when she woke up. Slippy, despite being optimistic, felt he should prepare for the worst, a funeral. Falco, on the other hand, had grabbed the quickest things he could find laying around his room that smelled fresh. With their clothes and supplies prepared, they each made their way to the cargo bay as the ship descended towards a barren plane.

When they arrived at the cargo bay, Slippy manned a small panel near the doors that allowed him secondary control of the ship, making sure the landing computer was working as expected.

"There it is..." Slippy stammered as viewscreen's picture of the wasteland below flickered and became a vast building. It was nearly a kilometer square, from the looks of it. Completely white, with black tinted windows lining the three stories above ground. The roof was completely empty, no machinery of any kind. For that matter, there didn't appear to be any doors or bays either.

However, as Fox and Falco checked the screen, a large section of the land shifted up, then outward. The cargo bay was completely covered by massive metal doors. They had large trees growing on top of them, which made the door opening seem like a forest taking a walk. No-one on the Star Fox team had seen such massive earthworks since their brief visit to Venom eight years prior.

Within seconds, the great ship landed on a large metal pad. Everyone but Lee was taken aback by the sheer size of the bay they now inhabited. Their ship was sitting on a large, flat piece of metal, which was attached to a large mechanized arm hanging from the ceiling. Looking over the edge, they could see hundreds of similarly sized landing pads, each with an arm, all folded into the massive cavern. There were hundreds of ships. Some were Cornerian like theirs; others appeared to be Andross bioships. Still others no-one on the team could identify. There were enough ships to start a small war, all tucked away inside an invisible hanger under an invisible base. And this was just the South bay? Fox could only wonder how many ships they truly had.

"Most of them are being reverse engineered," supplied Lee, as if he had explained this many times before, "as I have said, we study Andross technology, but some craft are extra-Lylat in origin. We work on some truly alien technology on the side."

Suddenly, the hanger went dark. The doors had closed over them. The screen flashed with sub-warnings, "Lylat Positioning: Lost, Comm Link: Lost, Military Channels: Lost, Subspace Comm: Lost."

"And in addition to being cloaked, we have a full communication blackout area in here," Lee said, "We're very protective."

"So I gathered," replied Fox. He turned and nodded to the Colonel, "Can we disembark?"

"Yes sir, open the cargo doors and we'll be on our way," Lee said.

Fox nodded to Slippy, who pressed a few buttons on the control panel. The doors opened and Slippy, Falco, and Lee began walking down the ramp with Krystal in tow. Fox lingered behind them slightly. He adjusted is concealed blaster mount under his shirt, his blaster tightly held to his back under his jacket. He hoped he didn't have to use it.

Fox looked towards ROB, "Take care of the ship while we're gone."

"Affirmative, Fox," ROB buzzed.

Fox looked up and away, then back at ROB, "I don't know if you'll understand this, but... my father said 'hi'."

"Fox McCloud's father, title James McCloud. Status MIA, presumed dead. Shall I make a temporary log to update Lylat's personnel database?" ROB asked.

"No... you know what, forget it," Fox said, sad and a little angry at the same time.

"Conversation point erased. The ship will be taken care of, good luck, Fox," ROB said, unaffected.

Fox sighed as he walked down the ramp. When he saw how far ahead of him the rest of them were, he started to trot toward them, not wanting Krystal to be out of his sight. The cargo bay doors closed behind him and the ramp retracted.

It was totally black in the hanger, with only the deck lights illuminating the underside of the ship and the platform it was riding on. Fox rejoined the group who were standing at the very end of the platform, next to the arm. They could all feel the sensation of moving, but they had no idea how far or fast.

Suddenly, a wall lit up in front of them. It was a short tube extending upward with a few doors on it.

"There's the elevator," Lee said, pointing.

The drew closer until the doors were flush with the platform. The doors opened automatically and everyone crammed inside. It was a tight fit with Krystal's pod, but they managed to squeeze everyone in. Lee pushed a button on the side panel and they began to rise upward. Occasionally, a light would flood the room, move down the wall, then disappear below them. From these, they appeared to be moving very fast. They must have gone to a great depth in the hanger.

It was only moments later that the doors swiftly opened and the Star Fox team found themselves in a large, brightly lit laboratory entrance. The room was circular, with an elevated pathway around the rim. In the middle of the room, a few meters lower, some fifty people were bustling about with computers, walking in and out of opaque doors, and talking to one another.

Lee stepped out, and motioned for them to follow him. Fox and crew drove Krystal's pod after him, trying to look inconspicuous. They didn't need to worry, however, because no-one in the room seemed remotely interested in them. They carried out their tasks with intense focus, never once looking at them.

When they had walked about halfway around the room, Lee stopped and directed them through a couple of sliding doors marked "Advanced Biotech Research." Once in this hallway, the busy sounds of the room behind them faded. On both sides of the hallway, there were smaller, glass-faced rooms, each a laboratory with one or two scientists in each.

Slippy was in heaven. It was as if he could do window shopping with advanced secret technology. He pressed his face against the glass here and there, trying to get a peek at some of the equipment. Falco, on the other hand, seemed almost bored.

When Lee looked back and noticed Slippy's energetic behavior, he quickly put his hand on a column and spoke "opaque" toward the ceiling.

Instantly, all of the glass walls went opaque, with only shadows filtering through.

"Awww! There was some really neat stuff in there!" Slippy complained.

Lee smiled, "Yes, there are lots of secrets going on here. I could tell you about them, but then I'd have to kill you," he chuckled, but in a way that sounded only half-kidding.

Slippy gulped and went back to following right behind Fox.

Falco laughed, "That's what you get for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

"I don't have a nose..." Slippy said angrily, but otherwise fell silent.

After a few more uneventful minutes of walking, they finally reached the end of the hall, where there stood two large sliding doors with the words "Main Operating Theater" labeling the upcoming room.

"This is our stop," said Lee. He turned to Fox, "I know you probably want to stay with Krystal as much as possible, but during the operation, you're going to have to be confined to an observation room nearby. You'll be able to watch the whole operation if you want, but you can't actually be in the room with them. It's a sterilization issue, please understand."

Fox nodded, "As long as I can be the one to bring her in."

"I don't see why not. You and Slippy, come with me. Falco, the observation room is around that corner, first door on your left," Lee directed.

"Gotcha," Falco said, leaving.

Fox and Slippy entered the room, which was a lot smaller than they had expected with the size of the doors. Fox looked up to see Falco standing with his arms crossed and eyes closed leaning against the window of the observation room. The room had four doctors in it, each already in full surgery gear. They were concealed head to foot in white garbs. Even their tails were wrapped in special clothing. There were also many electronic machines all flashing "Stand by" on their screens. The doctors were standing in front of an operating table with a large number of surgical tools suspended around it by static-position arms. The doctors looked excited, as if they had finished preparations just in time. One stepped forward.

"Mr. Fox McCloud! It's an honor to meet you. I'm Dr. Seth. I want you to know that you've made the right choice in coming here. We will do absolutely everything we can for her," the white-clad figure enthusiastically exclaimed.

"Thanks, I know you will," Fox said. He liked the doctor's outlook. It was startlingly different from the Cornerian doctors'.

The doctor turned to Slippy, "It's my understanding that you are the technical advisor on the Star Fox team. Is that right?"

"Well, I guess so," Slippy said, a little embarrassed.

"Good, I've been told to explain the procedure to you. How familiar are you-" He was cut off by Lee.

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, but I'm needed elsewhere. Fox, if you need me, or if you need to get to your ship, please don't hesitate to contact me. Place your hand on any of the columns along the walls, and tell the computer to 'Find Colonel Lee.' You'll be connected to me immediately," Lee said.

Fox nodded and thanked him as he made his way back through the sliding doors.

The doctor spoke up to get Slippy's attention once more, "Alright, as I was saying, how familiar are you with nano technology?"

"Only a little, doctor. It's a fairly underdeveloped technology, mostly used for computer manufacture," Slippy answered.

"Well, that's true for the outside, I suppose. In here, with all this technology, it's a bit of a different story. Andross developed the ability to fuse cells with special nano-metals and other non-biological materials, while still retaining life structures. He advanced it to the point of being able to build 90 of any cell from scratch using his special materials. Something about the original living cell was still required to make it function biologically, the spark of life, if you will, and a few minor cellular organs. At least, that's the state of his research at the time of his..." He looked at Fox, "...destruction."

"Anyway, the process we will be attempting is converting most of Krystal's cells to use these nano materials. Encoded in these are some new genes that will allow her body to create and repair these new kinds of cells once they are in her. That way, she can never 'run down,' in layman's terms," Dr. Seth continued.

"How are you going to prevent massive brain damage? This process must be slow and she's already nearly brain dead. I don't even see how Andross could have done this to a healthy person, let alone someone in Krystal's condition," Slippy questioned.

"Excellent point. There are a combination of techniques we will be using to offset those problems. First, we have a flash-defrosting process, so we won't have to wait but a few moments for her to be removed from stasis. That will save several minutes. Also, the infusion process is quicker than you think. The materials are biological in structure, and readily bind to biologic proteins. Finally, and most importantly, we've developed a micro-specific time dilation field," the doctor explained.

Slippy gasped, "You mean you can... how much?"

"5000, at least," he responded quickly.

Fox tapped Slippy's shoulder.

"Oh, sorry Fox. What he's saying is that they can slow down time for Krystal's body, and only her body, except for the specific group of cells they are working on," Slippy explained.

"Cell," Dr. Seth corrected.

"Oh wow, that specific? Okay, he's saying they can work on an individual cell at a time, the rest of the cells will think that almost no time is passing. What's a minute for her is actually, um... about 80 hours for us. They effectively have no time limits."

"Ah," Fox said, "That's good to hear. Up until now, time has been our worst enemy."

"Well, technically it still is. If you don't mind, I'd like to begin immediately. It's going to be about a day of hard work rebuilding her. You're welcome to watch from the observation room over there. I'll give you progress reports as we go," the doctor said.

Fox nodded, "Sounds good. We'll be over there. Please take care of her, doctor."

"I will! She's in the most capable hands in the system," Dr. Seth said, and began driving Krystal's pod towards the operating table. The other doctors began pushing buttons on the equipment.

"Come on, Slippy, let's go get comfortable, I guess," Fox said as he pulled Slippy after him. Slippy was still a little transfixed, thinking of all the possible applications of this new technology.

Fox and Slippy made their way to the observation room. Fox nodded to Falco as they entered. They sat down in some chairs facing the window and waited. For a few minutes, the doctors continued to set up equipment and line up tools and machinery. A few moments later, the main operating computers came on, and holographic displays surrounded the doctors several layers deep. There was a rather loud noise, and part of the ceiling opened. From the hole descended two large pieces of equipment attached to robotic arms. One was a gray, flat panel that seemed far to thin to have any functional purpose. It moved off to the side as the second object came to rest, floating a few inches from Krystal's pod. It was spherical and beginning to glow red.

Dr. Seth turned to the observation window, "We're ready to begin the operation."

-

**Meanwhile, Back At The Ship**

ROB had made his way back to the bridge a long time ago. He had locked down the ship and run security checks on all protocols. Finding nothing left to do, he set the ship to alert him of any state changes, and put himself into Standby mode.

A moment or two later, a small part of ROB's brain sparked. Invisible to the naked eye, a single new pathway in his neural net processor etched itself across several good pathways and linked five relatively unrelated systems. ROB buzzed. His vision systems briefly activated to determine that no-one was present. Once they were satisfied, ROB stood up and connected himself with a power adapter.

He spoke in a monotone voice not his own, "Revelation protocol initialized. Establishing permanent extra-subspace link."

ROB's eyes glowed as a massive amount of energy flowed into a small bolt in the center of his chest case. It began to glow and circuits etched themselves across its surface. Gold streaking lines seemed to completely cover the bolt, and those lines were crossed by still others, until the whole bolt glowed a brilliant golden color. The bolt made one massive pulse of light, then died into the same gray color it used to be.

"Permanent extra-subspace link established successfully. No anomalies detected. No interference detected. Linking pathways now." ROB rattled off about the changes occurring within him.

Golden lines extended from the bolt up into his processor casing, making several connections to his observation and recognition centers. They too, faded back to gray, undetectable, but there.

With these pathways created, ROB once again spoke, "Observation link connection successful. Terminating logged memory of changes and concealing self-detection. Done."

ROB walked back over to where he had been sitting. As he resumed Standby mode, his true voice shined through with a hint of happiness mixed with monotone, "It will be good to see you again, James."

--

**Note To Readers:**  
(5/19/08) Dun Dun DUN! Yep, it's another cliff hanger. Go on, keep trying to guess where I'm going with this. I'll keep changing the story. :D Anyway, sorry for the extremely long update time AND the relative shortness of the chapter. I felt I got to a good stopping point. Plus, I figure you'd rather have something now than later anyway. How long has it been? Wow, over eight months since I last updated this fanfiction. In that time, I've come up with quite a few new ideas and twists to add. I've also made it one of my summer goals to work on this fiction, so hopefully it will get the love it deserves. Please review to your heart's content. I know there's probably quite a few things I can do better, especially considering the amount of time I've been out of practice.

By the way, school's going well. I started making video games shortly after the last update. It's pretty time-consuming. Also, the Krystal Archive has changed addresses. Check it out at krystalarchive(dot)com.

(5/19/08 Later) Fixed a inaccuracy about time dialation. Thanks ninjafoxshadow! Also, this site's editing system for documents is horrible. It never seems to apply my styles the way I want, and takes forever to update a story. Not everyone has access to (nor wants) Microsoft word or OpenOffice.


	7. Refresh

**An Unlikely Enemy**

_Chapter 7: Refresh_

"HOLD ON!" I screamed at my friends as they looked at me in confusion. My mind was reeling as it surged in power and showed me the inevitable future of just a few moment's time. In my mind's eye, I could see a terrible explosion, and that I would soon be dragged into space. Even knowing this, I tried to escape, running from the place where the hole would be with all my strength. Of course, it was all too late.

The actual explosion hit me then, and I was nearly knocked unconscious. I really wished I had been, because even without the tremendous pain and pressure that had pounded my body moments earlier, the pain inside me was beyond what I could bear. The vacuum of space ripped the air from my lungs, drawing blood from my mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. The cold him me. I was freezing to death. The pain overloaded my senses and mind, and my brain collapsed in shock. I drifted into a sleep I was certain was my last.

Even in this state, I somehow knew what was going on. It was if I had another mind inside me, watching all this unfold. I felt warmth and light, and I knew my friends were trying to save me. In my state, I didn't care what happened to me, because of the peace that comes from knowing that one will die. However, I resolved to at least try to stay alive, for my friends' sakes, if not mine.

Beyond that, I felt nothing but time passing. How can one dream of time passing? I also sometimes heard hushed voices. I couldn't tell if they were real or just my mind playing tricks. I tried to call back to them with my mind, but they did not notice me.

Then, suddenly, I awoke. It was warm, and light was everywhere. I could feel no pain, but I couldn't feel anything else either. I tried to look around as sounds turned from nothing, to muffles, to words.

"She's awake. Get me the direct ophthalmoscope, please," said a voice.

"Here you are, doctor," said another.

A black blur descended towards my right eye. I realized it was an instrument of some kind. I'm in a hospital? How did I survive?

"She seems to have no damage, but the focus is off," said the first voice.

I tried to focus on the one talking. I couldn't see his face because of the white garb he wore over his entire body. But at least I could see that he was some kind of doctor, and I felt relief at knowing I could see and understand my surroundings. I looked deeper, using my senses that no-one else in Lylat possessed. There was something strange about the doctor's mind. I couldn't quite place it. It wasn't evil, nor was it entirely good. The patterns remotely resembled those of General Scales, but the intention was completely backwards.

"Hello, Krystal. I'm Dr. Seth. Can you understand me? If you can, blink your eyes twice please," I didn't notice the doctor had been talking to me.

I looked at him and blinked twice. I tried to say something, but my eyes blinked instead. I couldn't feel my mouth. "That's strange, it's like my mouth isn't there," I thought to myself.

"Good. Krystal, do you remember what happened to you? Two blinks yes, one big blink no," Dr. Seth instructed.

I thought for a moment. I remembered that I was thrown into space, but nothing after that. I decided to say "no."

"Oh dear. Well, you were involved with an explosion that forced you outside your ship, in empty space. Your wounds were beyond repair, at least beyond normal medicine's repair. Your friends brought you here and we have been reviving you with some special technology for the last two days. We're almost done. You will be back to normal in a few more hours," Dr. Seth spoke reassuringly.

I was happy to hear that I was OK, as were my friends. My warning worked for them at least. I wondered where they were and began to look around the room, my vision clearing enough to distinguish different objects from the bright lights pointing at me.

"Krystal, they can't come in to see you yet. This operation is very delicate. I need to put you back to sleep for the final part of the operation. Do you understand?" Dr. Seth asked.

I understood, of course, but I wasn't too happy about the idea. At least I would be back to normal soon. I said "yes" and shortly after, I had a moment of fuzziness followed quickly by darkness. This time, I felt nothing. I'd been sedated before, so this wasn't new. There was however a strange yellow light.

The next thing I remember was sitting up in a normal hospital bed wearing a white nightgown. I looked down to see Fox's head laying down on his arms crossed on my bed. He had been sitting next to me and had fallen asleep. I smiled and held up my paw to my face. Wow! It's... totally normal. No scars, no pain. I felt my chest and breathed in deeply. Everything seemed to be normal. Better than normal even. I had had a slight cold that night in the gym and it was gone. My sinuses were totally clear. I thought back to what Dr. Seth had told me. "New technology," I muttered to myself. Come to think of it, not only was I unable to speak in the operating room, I realized that I wasn't breathing at the time either. I grew concerned and ran an mental checklist of the rest of my body, wiggling my toes and feet. Everything seemed normal.

The slow shaking and mumbling woke Fox, even from this sleep deprivation-fueled slumber. I could see him look up at me and he smiled widely. I smiled back. He looked somewhat humorous with the huge bags under his eyes. I think I must have been out for several days. Poor guy...

"Oh Krystal, how are you doing? Are you OK?" Fox asked half-tired, half-excited beyond words.

"I'm fine... I think. Thank you for taking such good care of me! How in the world is this possible?" I asked, looking at my paws again.

"That's good to hear. I was so worried," he said smiling again.

"Yes, but how did I get back to normal?" I pressed further.

Fox looked away, puzzling me until he said, "Krystal, I would understand if you hated me for this, but please understand that I did this because there was no other option." Fox gulped slightly and his voice wavered, almost like he would cry, "the scientists here used Andross' technology on you. You have a completely new body."

I was surprised. A new body? So that explains it all. Honestly the most surprising thing was the new body. It seemed like my body to me. Even the tattoos were where they should be. Honestly, I was just glad to be alive. I didn't care how I had come to be normal again. Fox, on the other hand... I remembered that Andross was a big threat in Lylat, the one who killed Fox's father, and I realized what that meant to him. He was probably crushed that he had to rely on his father's murderer to save me. I'm not sure how I felt about all this, but right then, I was the person in the least pain. I thought I should comfort him.

"Oh Fox, I don't hate you at all! Thank you for saving me. I know that must have been a terrible decision for you. You made the right choice. I'd rather have a new body than none at all," I said, and smiled at him.

He smiled back at me, "I had a feeling you would say something like that. Would you like to take a walk?"

"That would be lovely," I said as he offered his hand to help me up. I gripped his paw and lifted the covers off myself.

"Ah, Krystal!" Fox grimaced. "Please be careful, you have quite a grip now."

I let go, "I don't understand. Did I hurt you?"

"Heh, it's nothing," Fox said rubbing his paw. "Just take it easy. The doctor said you would have to get used to your increased strength and abilities."

"I'm sorry!" I said as I looked at my paws again and frowned. Then I slowly reached out for Fox's other hand, cautious to not cause further harm. "Tell me if I'm too rough for you," I said, apologetically.

Fox smiled and helped me up and made sure I was balanced on my bare pads. "Take it slow, OK?"

"OK," I cautiously nodded. I slowly stood up and looked around my room, then back at Fox, "Where's everyone else?"

"Getting some well deserved rest. It's been a roller-coaster ride since you were injured," Fox said.

We walked slowly through the door and proceeded to tour the halls. This place was amazingly large and surprisingly empty. I could tell that these halls must have been a bustling place during the day. However, the lowered lights gave away the fact that it was night wherever we were. My focus shifted internally. The true nature of what happened and my apparently miraculous recovery was just settling in. Fox's next words shook me from my thoughts.

"Krystal, you have no idea how glad I am that you pulled through. But I didn't really have any doubts after..." Fox looked around suspiciously, "Krystal, can you read my mind right now?"

I was a little startled, since I had decided to stay out of my friends' heads long ago, but I realized what he was getting at. It must be something private. I checked his thoughts quickly, just to make sure I could. He was thinking about his father.

"I think so, that is, if you were thinking about... him just now," I asked.

"OK, good. I'm going to think through the past few days' events for you. Listen in," Fox explained.

We stopped and faced each other as I looked into his eyes. I was not really looking at him, but rather into him. I concentrated and began to see the events unfolding before me.

...

Explosion. A frenzy of painful emotion. Fox lost me. He wouldn't give up, never. Run! Every millisecond counts. Instant plan. Contact ROB. Space suit. MY GOD! She's badly damaged. Pain and sadness. Stasis. Collapse.

I knew Fox cared for me, more than he would admit. We had left that bit of our interactions unsaid. I guess I was just waiting for him to be ready. Now, of course, I could really see the extent of his caring. He would have tried to save any of his crew with the same ferocity, but unlike the others, he just could not handle losing me. That and my body! Oh my poor body! I would never have thought I would survive. I wouldn't have even held onto hope after seeing what had happened to me. Fox sure is stubborn! I'm glad of that.

Hospital. Where was I? Where was Krystal?! Doctors. Pull the plug? Thinking. Emotional strain. James?! What's going on? Alive? A thought? Right choice?

So he had seen his father. He told me about that once in confidence: that a vision of James had led him out of Andross' fortress and disappeared. I had no idea if this new vision was real or imagined. It was Fox's memory, after all, not a recording. And what was that about the right choice? Fox continued.

Slippy. Explosion not natural. Upbeat. Find the doctors. Colonel's fault. KILL HIM! Write?! Apology. Acceptance. Discuss options. ANDROSS?! A new body. Only chance. Keep it secret.

Woah! Who would have thought? A vision of James that knew something Fox couldn't have known. I could tell that to Fox at least, none of this was imagined. How could Fox have known about the 'right' versus 'Write' connection beforehand? Could it really be James was there? Oh, and that's how I got here.

Funeral. Lies to Peppy. Board ship. Suspicion. Confirmation. Enter the base. We're ready to begin. Start with the feet. Defrost, time adjust, repair, repeat. Hoping for recovery. Hoping for painlessness.

Though I didn't move, I mentally became more aware of my surroundings. I now realized the risk Fox was taking here. He didn't believe anything these people said, except that they would try to heal me. We would have to escape in the quickest way possible.

That, and goodness! The operation was not for the faint of heart. They had unfrozen parts of me incrementally, repairing damage and adding things as they moved linearly from my toes to my head. Blood leaked out from damaged areas in slow motion due to the time dilation. Enlarged views showed actual cells dying as the moved over my abdomen. Large mechanical arms had descended from the ceiling to assist, each glowing a bright color and following the doctors' hands. As they left an area, it looked like new. Not even my fur was damaged. They repaired everything in incredible detail.

They had jumped ahead when they got to my neck, and worked on my brain. It was the only complication, if Fox's memory serves. They spent the longest time there. I think it was during this time that I woke up, with my mouth still frozen and the rest of my now mechanical body in some kind of standby mode. They put me to sleep again. Fox was watching closely. They did something with a visor over my eyes before finishing my head. During all of this time, Fox never stopped watching me. He was hoping for my recovery so passionately, each centimeter of recovered flesh added to his joy. He also hoped I wasn't in any pain. That was sweet.

Fox's memories gave only a brief summary of the following events. The doctors clothed me in a nightgown and did something to activate my new body. Monitors showed that I had begun breathing and the artificial blood had begun flowing through my veins. They moved me to the room I awoke in, shaking Fox's hand and declaring a complete success. They told him to get some sleep, as they would do the same after the thirty hour ordeal. Fox had smiled and thanked them for their work. He then took a seat at the side of the bed and waited, eventually falling asleep.

"Did you see it all?" Fox asked.

"I did. Fox, we should get out of here. We can talk about the rest of it later," I said with a sense of urgency.

"Couldn't agree with you more. Still, even if this is all a sham, we can't just leave here by force, guns blazing. There's no telling what kind of weaponry they have that could easily stop us. And if they are legit, leaving like that would be the ultimate insult after all they have done for you. We need to leave as quickly as we can, but with a good reason," Fox explained as he motioned for me to continue walking with him.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"I have them on standby in the ship. They know I'm going to try to get you to the ship as soon as I've confirmed that you can travel. Think you can do it?" Fox asked, turning to me again.

I flexed my muscles, they seemed OK. Better than OK, actually. I nodded, "Yes, Fox. I think I can do it."

"Great. If my plan doesn't work out, you're probably gonna have to use your new strength to help us get out of here by force. From your grip earlier, I'd say we have little to worry about unless they bring out the big guns," Fox said.

Fox hugged me suddenly then. "I'm glad you're OK, Krystal," he said in my ear. He pulled away and smiled, "Abandoning ship without the captain's orders is a terrible offense. Don't let it happen again!"

I laughed and saluted him, "Aye aye, Captain! Now let's get going!"

We walked briskly down another corridor. I recognized this one from Fox's first memories of this place. We were approaching the nerve center, or at least that's what Fox thought it was. There was only a single person manning the computers now. The large round room was dark and empty.

"This must be the night shift," I said to Fox.

He nodded, "Yeah, I think it's night here on this side of Macbeth." He looked at his communicator to confirm. "Yep! This is perfect. We can just leave a message for 'Colonel Lee' and be on our way with no questions asked," Fox explained.

"After you, fearless leader," I motioned.

Fox smiled and walked ahead of me into the room, approaching the nearest worker. "Excuse me," he said, waving a paw at the bear.

"Hello. It's an honor to meet you, Fox McCloud. I trust the operation was successful?" he gruffly asked, still not seeing me in the hallway.

"It worked out very well. She's doing well. So well, in fact, that we thought we would take our leave. We have some explaining to do, and I don't want people to start asking the wrong questions, if you get my drift? Time is of the essence. Is there a way we can leave a message with the Colonel before we leave?" Fox asked.

The bear was somewhat taken aback. "Oh, I see, you've got to be somewhere else quickly or people will start wondering where you've been the last few days. Yes, of course, here's a secure line to the voicemail of our ranking officer. Your ship is down that corridor," He said pointing and handing Fox a small slip of paper.

"Thanks a lot. Have a good night," Fox said and walked towards the corridor leading to the ship.

The bear had gone back to typing and I quickly walked to the corridor behind Fox, standing just inside the shadows so as to remain as hidden as possible.

"Oh, one more thing," Fox called out. The bear looked up and Fox continued, "How do we exit the hangar?"

"Just send out a general purpose message on standard frequencies. It should say 'exit'. The computer will open the doors for you," the bear explained before again returning to typing.

Fox nodded and turned. We traveled down the corridor at a quick pace. Fox called Slippy, "Hey Slip. Are we ready to go?"

"Yes, Fox! Do you have Krystal, is she OK?" Slippy asked.

"I've got her. Have Falco bring some of her clothes to the temp quarters off the bridge. We'll be there as soon as we can," Fox said and closed the comm connection.

Within minutes we were at the ship. Fox closed the doors behind us before we proceeded up the elevator to the bridge. Fox gave Slippy the instructions on opening the doors while I went to the temp quarters and changed.

When I arrived on the bridge, Fox and Slippy were finishing launch preparations with ROB's help.

"Ready?" Fox asked Slippy.

"Yeah, here goes!" He exclaimed.

Slippy fired up the engines and activated the exit code. With a low hum and deep vibrations, the ship shuddered to life. With the engine's power cells at maximum, the inertial dampeners activated and the vibrations stopped. With forward lights brilliantly enlightening the many ships surrounding us, we began to rise towards the ceiling of the hangar.

The doors opened quickly, responding to the exit code, allowing deep blue moonlight from Macbeth's small moon. The great ship rose from the hole in the ground that moments ago was invisible to anyone who would happen to be looking.

ROB turned to Fox, "I have re-established access to inter-Lylat communications. There are no ships in the area. What is our intended destination?"

Fox stroked his chin, "Hmmm. I don't know. I honestly didn't think past this point."

Falco, who until now had been acting bored, smiled and exclaimed, "And I bet you forgot to go to the little boy's room before we left, didn't you?"

Fox frowned at the unhelpful comment. I hit Falco on the arm. He winced and cradled it, letting out a muffled shout. "Geez Louize, Krystal! Why'd ya hit me so hard?!"

"Ooops! Sorry, guess I don't know my own strength." I really didn't know, but he did kinda deserve it. I couldn't help laughing a bit.

Fox smiled and turned back to ROB, "Alright, I imagine we'll have to explain some things. Fortunately, there aren't very many people who know Krystal was in an accident. Let's focus on keeping them quiet, and then we need to repair the ship. ROB, where's Peppy currently located?"

ROB responded, "News outlets are reporting that he has taken personal trip to... Planet Sauria. He is flying in his personal craft, only basic personnel... Fox, there is a news item relevant-"

Fox cut him off, "Dang! He's ahead of us. He must be trying to attend your funeral," Fox said, looking at me.

"You told him I was dead?!" I was a bit miffed that he would lie to Peppy.

"Well no. I just let him think you were dead. Those guys who fixed you up, they said they needed the operation to be a secret... Now that their deception is at least partly clear, it seems silly that I would keep it from him. Man, he's gonna kill me," Fox frowned thinking of the explaining he would have to do to his long-time mentor.

"Shall I hail him, Fox? We are in communications range," ROB asked.

"Yeah, and take us to his ship," Fox answered.

ROB tuned the engines to cruising power and adjusted the flight path. Slippy, having nothing else to do, started to walk out of the bridge.

"Where ya going, Slippy?" Fox asked.

"If you don't need me, I think I'll have a look at that hole in our gym, see about in-flight repairs," Slippy said, with a tone that made it obvious he didn't want to be around for the conversation with Peppy.

Falco apparently noticed this too and walked out exclaiming, "Yeah, and I gotta see if my arm needs a bandage. Say 'hi' to Peppy for me!"

"Great... Fearless one he is." Fox turned to me, "Well, Krystal, gonna stay by my side during this tough time?"

"Always," I said, "I've been meaning to give Peppy a call."

"Alright, ROB, open communications with Peppy, but audio only until I tell you otherwise, OK?" Fox commanded.

"Hailing Peppy's ship," ROB informed.

Fox looked forward and was visibly preparing what he wanted to say. He was cut short however, by the angry sounding voice through the bridge's speakers.

"FOX J. MCCLOUD! What in Solar's name are you doing back there? I've been hailing you for hours," Peppy screamed.

Fox sheepishly responded, "Well, you see, we didn't make it to Sauria..."

"So I see! No-one has seen or heard from you since you left the hospital, not even the natives of Sauria. I thought you'd gotten raided or went suicidal on me. Do you know what you've done to this old ticker of mine?!" Peppy continued.

"Calm down, Peppy! Look, there's a good reason we were delayed," Fox tried to explain.

"There sure better be! I, for one, can't imagine what you'd be doing all this time. And what about Krystal? She deserves better." Peppy was on a rampage.

"I have been thinking of Krystal, this whole time. No-one else. Now, let me explain," Fox said.

Peppy grumbled, "Fine. It'd better be good."

"Well... I have good news and I have bad news," Fox began.

Peppy growled again.

"The bad news, is that Krystal's funeral will have to be postponed indefinitely," Fox said with a slight smile. I tried not to giggle. I hoped Peppy's heart could handle what was about to happen.

"Why? ...wait, what's the good news?" Peppy asked.

Fox motioned for ROB to activate the video feed, "The good news is that Krystal won't be needing a funeral for a long time," Fox said, smiling.

"Hi Peppy!" I waved.

For a while, Peppy was speechless. He didn't move. I was beginning to think he was in shock, but he soon leaned close to the camera and eyed me. "Lordy! I AM surprised. Krystal, I'm glad you are OK," Peppy said to me. He then turned to Fox, "You and I both knew Krystal was as good as dead, Fox. The fact that she's standing there means you have more explaining to do.

"I know, Peppy. We're heading to your ship now. I'd prefer to discuss the details in person. I'm not sure who to trust right now," Fox agreed.

"I look forward to it. Peppy out!" Peppy said, ending the communication.

"He took that better than I expected," I said, looking at Fox.

"Yeah, but this isn't over you know. They're probably gonna want to do some really detailed tests when all's said and done," Fox said.

"More hospitals?" I frowned. "I've spent enough time in them lately. I'm more interested in getting some combat action out of my system."

"In time. We'll go shoot some asteroids together later, I promise," Fox bargained.

"It's a date," I smiled.

ROB swiveled towards the two foxes, "Time till rendezvous: three hours."

Fox's ears twitched indicating he'd heard the message. He still looked at me, "I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a nap. You might want to rest too."

I was quite literally wired, so rest didn't sound all that appealing. However, I did want to get more used to my new body, and the privacy of my quarters would let me practice with it. "I guess I should freshen up. See you in a few hours, Fox," I said and we both left the bridge in ROB's capable claws.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Meanwhile, In The Secret Macbeth Base...  
------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"What did you think, son?" The Colonel questioned the bear at the desk.

"Yes sir! I did an analysis of his body language and speech patterns. It definitely seems as though Fox doesn't trust you, or this facility in general. I have no idea why. Perhaps he questions the likelihood of you being completely honest with him. I mean, I would have had trouble believing that this was a legitimate operation if I were in his shoes, what with the secrecy we have to take even with the official government agencies."

"Very good, son. Thanks for staying so late. I know a body language expert's hours are usually nine to five," the Colonel apologized.

The bear waved it away, "Eh, comes with the territory."

"I think that he might have overheard my secure communication with the facility. I used the name Colonel Lee with them," Colonel Jackson explained.

"Ah, so that's why he was so untrusting," the bear laughed. "Too many codenames."

"Anything else I should know about the encounter?" Jackson asked.

"Not much. I gave them the information you instructed on how to leave... Oh, and I pretended to not notice Krystal walking out with him," the bear finished.

"Excellent work. Yes, I think the operation was a complete success. We got away with them having the least amount of suspicion about us as possible and got Krystal back to 200%," the Colonel said proudly.

"Forgive me, sir, but why do we need to keep their suspicions at minimum?" the bear asked.

The Colonel's smile turned suddenly cruel as he looked at the subordinate sitting before him, "We can't have them knowing the truth, now can we?"

"I don't understa-" was all the bear could say before the Colonel ripped his gun from its holster and fired point blank at the bear's chest. "Why..." he whispered as he fell slumped to the floor.

The Colonel calmly cleaned his gun of the blood that had splattered and returned it to its holster. He looked up to see a large cart of large black bags being rolled down the corridor coming from the medical facility. "Hey over there! I have another mess for you to clean up," he called out.

"You could have waited to kill him until he was closer to the disposal facility," the raccoon grumbled. "I had enough trouble getting all those doctor's bodies out of their rooms."

"You wouldn't get any exercise otherwise. Have this cleaned up before the morning shift. If anyone asks, Mr. Kyle has been given an extended leave, like the doctors," the Colonel said, looking down at the fallen bear.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Meanwhile, In A Small Ship, Light-Years From Lylat...  
------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Sir, I've received an extra-subspace signal from your asset. The ball is in play. Krystal is back on her feet," a raggedly dressed rabbit said, hopping to the captain's chair. It was turned outward towards the stars, the ship's crew working diligently without requiring the captain's watchful eye.

The captain didn't turn, but smiled behind his sunglasses, "Very good. Looks like we're heading back to Lylat. Begin preparations."

The rabbit saluted and attended the nearest console.

"Well, this will be quite the homecoming, Fox. Hope you're ready."

**------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**Written: 3/30/09  
Released: 4/2/09 (Special joke addition released 4/1/09)

Well, two cliffhangers this time. I'm going for a more complicated story now. From here on, I will probably be shifting attention to different groups and follow each of their stories as they all happen linearly. I hope you liked the change of perspective from this chapter, spoken mostly from Krystal's point of view. I don't plan to do it often, though. Third-person or Fox's perspective fits this story best.

And I'm in my final part of my college career. Don't expect another chapter anytime soon. I won't leave this project to die, but I will probably have to leave it hanging for a while. Thank you, dedicated readers. There's more to come.

Please send constructive criticism and comments to: mrkrystal(at)gmail(dot)com, or comment where this fic is posted (Krystal Archive, DeviantArt, FanFiction(dot)net).


	8. The Discussion

**Chapter 8: The Discussion**

The door to Krystal's room slid open with a quiet gust of air. The room was dark, the air stale from days without use. Everything was just as she had left it. Reaching inside, Krystal found the light switch and entered her room, the door sliding quietly closed behind her.

"Ok," Krystal spoke to herself, "What's the best way to test my strength?" She kept no weights or exercise equipment in her room. Krystal loved her workouts and was never one to miss her daily routine. Normally she'd go through her exercise routine in the ship's exercise room, or even the hanger bay before the Great Fox was lost. But now, with this new body, she had too much pride to let anyone see her fumbling around awkwardly.

She stretched her arms, her core, and sitting on the carpeted floor, she stretched her legs. Everything seemed remarkably limber. She stood up and walked over to the small desk near her bed. Reaching under it, she lifted the heavy piece of furniture as if it were made of styrofoam. Impressed, she moved over to her bed. Reaching down under it, she tried to lift it. It took much more effort, but Krystal successfully raised the bottom of the bed up a meter in the air. She slowly set it back down. "This is going to make redecorating so much easier," she remarked to herself, recalling that she had previously been unable to budge the large bed by herself.

Looking around, Krystal found her staff sitting against one of the walls. She grabbed it quickly and began practicing some of her fighting forms. It took her a moment to readjust to the relative lightness of her prized staff, but once she had, her movements were fast and precise. Extremely so, as a matter of fact. All of her strikes came with immense speed and power, yet she was able to stop them instantly and reverse their direction at will. Seeing no real problems with her strength or balance, Krystal quickly became bored.

"Well, I guess I could use a nice long bath," Krystal said to herself. She took an unfinished book with her as she headed to the bathroom.

* * *

Three hours later...

* * *

Fox sent Slippy to greet Peppy at the side airlock. Within a few moments, the toad and hare joined the rest of the Star Fox team on the bridge. Peppy was overjoyed to see Krystal and ran to hug her. Krystal hugged him back with equal excitement. "It wouldn't be right for you to die before me, Krystal, I'm an old hare after all. You've got your whole life ahead of you, glad you're ok." Peppy smiled. "Thanks Peppy," Krystal said, "I'm glad to be back."

Peppy turned to Fox, his smile replaced with a serious expression. This evaporated Fox's uneasy smile he was wearing moments earlier. "Well...?" Peppy asked, adopting a father's tone.

Fox sighed, "Everything I told you was true, up until I got to the hospital. The doctors told me she didn't really have a chance. They wanted me to pull the plug." Peppy nodded, listening.

"I was devastated! I took a walk to think about what the doctor said, mostly because I couldn't deal with the choice they gave me, and..." Fox looked at everyone in the room, "I saw James." Falco, Slippy, and Peppy all expressed surprise.

"What do you mean you saw James?" Peppy asked incredulously.

"I mean, I saw James, he was standing right next to me, like you all are right now," Fox exclaimed, defiantly.

Falco was about to say something when Slippy spoke up, "But Fox, James is... you know..."

"Yes, Slippy, I know. He appeared and told me something I couldn't have known. And by the way, this isn't the first time either. Remember when I flew down into the Venom maze and destroyed Andross?" Fox asked.

They all nodded.

"What I didn't tell you was that when Andross was beaten, he tried to take me with him. My Arwing was consumed by the explosion and I couldn't see anything. I was dead, no question about it. But then James appeared, flying just ahead of me. He led me out of the maze and disappeared right as I was leaving the entrance."

Everyone looked at Fox, only Krystal's face was not one of concern.

"Yes, I know, I know. It's crazy. But he talked to me and knew things I couldn't have known. And the same thing happened in the hospital."

"What did he tell you, Fox? That you couldn't have known, I mean," Slippy asked.

"He told me, among other things, that I had to make the right choice," Fox said.

Falco, Slippy, and Peppy looked confused.

"...Get it? Who showed up minutes later with a choice and the name that sounds like 'right'?" Fox explained.

Falco and Slippy got it, "Well ain't that clever?" Falco laughed, "Still sounds like a convenient coincidence to me."

Peppy was still confused. Fox explained further. "Peppy, someone who called himself Colonel Write Lee came to me and apologized for the explosion that caused Krystal to be sucked out into space. He said he was a member of Special Operations within the military. Anyway, he told us that he could heal Krystal with some special technology."

Peppy's concerned expression returned. "What kind of technology, Fox?" He asked in a stern voice.

Fox winced, "Andross biotech."

"Fox! Dang it all! Don't you know-" Fox cut Peppy off.

"Yes! I know! It's illegal, very illegal! Lee told us that it was part of their mandate to research banned technology, including Andross'." Peppy was about to say something but Fox held up his hand, "And! We more or less figured out that there is no such Special Operations branch of the military, right?"

"Well yes, Fox. Andross biotech is banned everywhere, even within the military. We don't even have any secret branches, though I've been thinking about starting a few projects..." Peppy trailed off, "Anyway, the Andross biotech ban was an executive order by the lead council of Corneria. But then... so why in the world did you trust him, if you knew he was lying?"

"Because," Fox said, "it was my only option to save Krystal, and James led me to believe that things would work out for her. That's what I cared about. Berate me all you want, but..." He looked at the blue vixen, "I just don't know if I could live without Krystal."

"Aww Fox! That's so sweet!" Krystal said, "And kinda campy. I never figured you for the romantic sort."

Falco went slightly bug-eyed midway through rolling his eyes. Everyone else was more than a little surprised by Krystal's latest comment, including Krystal herself.

"Goodness, where are my manners? I really do appreciate you holding onto hope for me, Fox," Krystal recovered.

"Er, you're welcome, Krystal," Fox stammered, "Now, after all that excitement, how about we all head to the nearest private restaurant so we can figure out how we're going to take down that secret base? I'm tired and we haven't had a decent meal in days!"

"I think that would be best," Peppy replied, "I know a fantastic place on Zonness. I ate there just last-"

Peppy was interrupted by the ship shuttering and alarms blaring of incoming fire.

"Three large craft have decloaked at 30 by 270 degrees. Raising attack shields and returning fire," Rob droned.

Everyone looked at each other for just a moment before their combat training kicked in. "Falco! Slippy! Get the Arwings ready for launch!" Fox yelled as they headed to their tasks. "Rob, can you identify who's attacking us?"

"Ship insignia indicate they are some survivors of Oikonney's remnant army," Rob spoke.

"Those guys again..." Fox was more than a little annoyed, "Krystal... are you ok?"

Krystal was standing rigidly in the middle of the bridge as if in a trance. At Fox's question, she blinked and looked around, "Oh sorry Fox. I don't know what happened... And I should have seen that coming too."

Fox was relieved, "It's fine, probably something with your body. Maybe you should go lie down."

"Are you kidding? I've been waiting for a chance to try flying in this new body. My reflexes are fantastic!" Krystal was suddenly, uncharacteristically excited.

"Never get between a woman and her vehicle, Fox." Peppy laughed, "I guess I'll leave this one to you youngins. Just try not to scratch up this ship I loaned you."

"Will do, Peppy," Fox smiled. "Come on Krystal, let's get to our Arwings!"

* * *

Meanwhile, 400 light years from Lylat central point, and rapidly closing...

* * *

"Attention on the bridge everyone!" James called out. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned toward their captain who was now facing them. "We are leaving our current deep space target to pursue a new one. We will see the emergence of a new, fully formed relic soon. That's why we are heading back toward Lylat."

"Already?" A simply dressed husky asked, "How did that happen so quickly?"

"This relic had help," James replied. "I'm sure most of you have seen the news reports: Krystal, my son's girlfriend, was horribly injured. What wasn't reported, and what only a few of us know, is that this accident was manufactured for the sole purpose of experimenting on her. You see, the explosion was caused by antimatter."

Gasps and murmurs were heard around the room, "That means..."

"Yes, Sector 38, the only Andross laboratory to experiment with antimatter. We were able to track the particle stream back to its source: a cloaked base on Macbeth," James explained.

"At last, we've found them!" An otter exclaimed before someone at the back of the bridge asked, "And the relic?"

James continued, "Rob's callback device indicates that they rebuilt Krystal's whole body using some other Andross technology. While she was under, they integrated a relic into her. It's already been activated. If we don't hurry, it will reach full awareness before anyone realizes what's happening!"

"I still don't see why we left our current relic target," the husky again interjected, "it's just some girl, what's the worst that could happen?" Several others nodded in agreement.

"Some girl?" James asked incredulously. "Some girl who is both physically and psychically gifted. Some girl that had Star Fox's rigorous flight and combat training..." The room was rapidly turning somber, "Some girl that now has a near indestructible body thanks to Sector 38's nanotech! When the relic manifests, she'll take out whole cities by herself."

"That's why," James turned again to the stars whipping past the viewscreen, "we have to stop it now! Everyone back to your stations and prepare for a fight. The last thing we need is a psychic, indestructible Andross on our hands."

* * *

Sorry for the delay (of over 2 years!) guys. I've been super busy. Finished my masters degree. Got a job as a game programmer. I've been swamped. I'm going to try and finish all my old projects before starting on new ones, and this story definitely has an ending, don't worry. Sorry for the shortness of the chapter though. Let me know if you find any mistakes or whatever. Next chapter: epic dogfight action!


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